


Crying Help

by orphan_account



Series: Arrow Adventures [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Big sister Laurel, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotionally scarred Sara, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lazarus Pit, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Sister-Sister Relationship, after effects, post 4.05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-30 21:47:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5180894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You weren't like the other kids, not scared of thunder or lightning. No, that wasn't what sent you running to my bed."</p><p>"What was I scared of then?" Sara prompted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crying Help

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again :) Arrow seems to have caught my attention lately, more than any other show in recent memory. I think it's because there are so many things I wish were done better? Idk. 
> 
> Anyways, I needed some Lance Sisters' hurt/comfort after that last episode. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

_Laurel!_

_Laurel! Help!_

_Laurel!_

Laurel jerked awake with a gasp, her sister's screams still echoing in her ears. Her cries echoed, reminding Laurel of when she was a child; when she'd yelled down a railway tunnel and listened to her shout travel down it, bouncing off the walls and echoing back to her.

The gut wrenching cries were eerily similar to Sara's screams during the rescue of her soul. Laurel never wanted to hear her sister scream for her so desperately again.

Rocking forward she pressed her forehead to her knees, working to slow her frantic breathing the way she had been taught.

She exhaled through her mouth, making a whooshing sound. Closing her mouth she inhaled through her nose for a count of four, she held that breath for another count of seven. Then she exhaled through her mouth, for a count of eight.

That was one set of four down, three to go.

"Laurel!"

The last shout was the end of any modicum of peace her breathing exercise had achieved.

Barely processing the fact that the latest scream wasn't in her nightmares this time Laurel vaulted over her couch, almost getting tangled in her blankets in her rush.

She couldn't help but wish she'd hadn’t let Thea pull her away from Sara's bedside, no matter how much she'd needed the sleep.

But Thea wasn't Oliver's little sister for nothing, and her stubbornness had won the day.

Unwilling to put Thea out of a bed, she'd given her own up to Sara, which was what had led to her bunking down in the living room. It had been the least she could considering everything she'd put her sister through.

Bursting into her room, where Sara had been resting since her resurrection, Laurel's eyes immediately sought out her little sister.

She found her right where she'd left her, but her condition much worse. Sara was tossing and turning, hands clenching and unclenching in the sheets, as she struggled against an unseen foe.

"Laurel," she said again, this time more a mumble than a yell.

She was clearly caught in the throes of a nightmare.

It must be going around.

Then again the Lance-Queen family certainly had more than their fair share of tragedy and horror to torment them in their sleep.

They were bound to have nightmares around the same time at some point. Now all that was missing was Thea having a similar occurrence tonight.

Not that Laurel was wishing it on her, heaven knows Thea needed her sleep. Restful sleep if at all possible. 

Laurel reluctantly slowed her approach to the bed.

She'd learned the hard way after the first time Sara had come back from the dead that startling her was never a good idea.

It wouldn't end well for anyone, and she really didn't want to have to grapple with Sara again. For someone who had been dead in the not so distant past Sara was surprisingly strong.

With due caution, Laurel sat on the bed beside Sara. She reached over with one hand to carefully pry one of Sara's hands free. She clasped it tightly, entwining their fingers.

Her other hand went to stroke Sara's pale yellow hair.

"Sara? It's me, Laurel." she said.

When Sara didn't respond other than to writhe, Laurel gave her a light shake, "Sara?"

Sara woke with a gasp, her eyes darting all over the room before landing on Laurel.

Blue eyes met green, instantly focusing when their gazes locked, before gentling considerably.

"Laurel?" She said, her voice raspy with disuse.

"Yeah, I'm here."

Sara lurched forward into her sister's ready arms with none of her usual grace.

The sisters clung to each other like they were the other's last tether to land, to sanity, to _everything_.

Laurel shushed her, cradling her in her arms and stroking her hair. She tried to reassure Sara with the physical contact she seemed to crave.

It was, she reflected, a comforting method Laurel had sadly had many the occasion to practice with her loved ones in recent years.

"It's okay, you're not there anymore," her voice broke, but she continued, "I'm here, you're safe. I promise."

Sara curled even further into her embrace, if that was even possible, sniffling.

Laurel kept up a steady stream of comforting nonsense, rocking them back and forth.

Looking back she could never say how long they sat there, comforting and receiving comfort, but she would always remember the moment it ended.

Sara pulled back just far enough to rest her forehead against Laurel's, looking into her eyes as if searching her soul.

Whatever she was looking for she must have found, because she smiled. It wasn't the bittersweet smile Laurel had grown used to receiving in recent years, but a sunny and genuine one more akin to what she remembered from their childhood.

The sight of it took her breath away.

"Thank you," Sara said, brushing her nose against Laurel's affectionately.

Laurel blinked, "For what? You would have done the same for me."

"Not that," Sara said quickly, "Well, that too. But I meant for always being there to pick me up."

She glanced away, not quite able to explain while looking at Laurel, "Every time I'm about to give up, about to stop fighting, you always seem to be there. Pulling me back to my feet. So. Thank you."

Sara looked back to find Laurel staring at her with wide eyes, her smile looking very fragile.

As if one wrong word would break her, right then and there.

Sara felt a familiar stirring of guilt, for everything she'd put her big sister through. For all the times she hadn't said thank you, for putting that fragile smile on her face in the first place.

For ever giving her cause to think Sara would hate her for saving her.

Laurel knocked her forehead against Sara's pointedly, drawing her out of her downward spiral of guilt.

"That's what sisters are for," she was saying, "I should know."

Now it was Sara's turn to choke back tears.

They hugged again, the move affording them both the dignity of not seeing the other crying.

When they pulled back Laurel cleared her throat and tried to lift the mood.

"Do you need anything? Some water? More blankets?" she asked, unable to stop her mouth from running away from her.

"Laurel," Sara said, stopping her before she could ramble any further, "Just… stay with me tonight?"

Laurel nodded immediately, making to move to the armchair by the bed. It was where she'd spent the entire day, what was the rest of the night in addition to that?

She didn't get very far before Sara stopped her with a gentle grip around her wrist.

"Not…not like that." Sara glanced down, embarrassed.

"Sara?"

Unable to voice what she was asking for, Sara threw the covers back and patted the bed beside her.

Realization dawned.

Laurel was unable to stop her grin as she climbed under the covers to lay beside her recently resurrected sister.

She stared up at the ceiling, still wide awake, but taking immeasurable comfort in the warmth of Sara next to her.

Smiling, she listened as Sara's breathing began to even out.

Just as she was beginning to drift off herself, reluctantly, Sara shifted and curled into her side.

Laurel automatically wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer.

"Mhmm this is nice." Sara said, contentment curling warm in her stomach.

Sara pressed her face into Laurel's shoulder, pressing a light kiss there.

"We used to lay like this a lot as kids, do you remember?" Laurel drew light circles on Sara's arm.

Sara shifted to look up at her, chin resting on her shoulder. "We did?"

Laurel nodded, eyes far away.

"You weren't like the other kids, not scared of thunder or lightning. No, that wasn't what sent you running to my bed." She said, her voice taking on a teasing lilt she'd only had the occasion to use with Thea for over a year.

Even then their teasing was more of the sarcastic, dark humor variety. It was rarely lighthearted.

It was incredible to be able to talk like this with Sara again. It was something she'd barely dared to hope for even after going to Nanda Parbat.

"What was I scared of then?" Sara prompted, trying to drag Laurel back from wherever her mind had just gone.

"The police sirens. They would go driving by and like clockwork you'd be standing by my bed."

Somehow that made sense, their dad had been a beat cop when they were little. Even that young they'd both been able to pick up on how worried and tense their mother would get when she heard the sirens.

It was a learned fear.

"And then we would curl up in bed, just like this. And I would hum until either we couldn't hear the sirens anymore or you fell asleep. Whichever came first." Laurel said, finishing her trip down memory lane.

"I think I vaguely remember that," Sara said with a sleepy smile. "Wait, did you say you hummed?"

Sara giggled at the thought, snuggling closer. She felt lighter, safer, and more content than she had in years. This change in temperament had everything to do with her sister, the one person who had always believed in her.

"Yeah, sometimes for hours."

The admission stirred Sara's memories, and she realized how déjà vu this situation was. Her memories of it were… fuzzy but there. Filled with warmth, fading fear, and the faint impression of a tune in the background. Laurel humming.

"Laurel?"

Sara's eyes were growing heavy.

"Yeah?"

"Will you hum?"

Laurel smiled into the darkness.

And she hummed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know :)
> 
> **Side note: I have thoughts about why Laurel and Oliver are in costume for their jaunt on the 'other side' and why Constantine stayed the same. Any interest in a fic about it?


End file.
